Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Peace & Social Justice

South Jersey Gathering: Welcoming Families, Spiritual Writings, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Judicial Court

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Tri-Quarter 2021 Virtual Gathering Information

The news below has been adapted from web content and email information shared by Carleton Crispin on behalf of the South Jersey Quakers. At their September tri-quarter meeting, Friends in South Jersey shared presentations by Greenwich Meeting, Gary Smith, Rev. J. R. Norwood, Ph.D., and PYM’s Youth Religious Life Coordinator, Melinda Wenner Bradley. Friends who missed these interesting presentations can access links to the recordings. Brief content summaries are also included. [Read more…] about South Jersey Gathering: Welcoming Families, Spiritual Writings, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Judicial Court

Greenwich Meeting – A Place of Activity at the End of a Winding Road

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At the end of the winding road, known as Ye Greate Street, in Greenwich, Cumberland County, NJ, stands a historic Quaker meetinghouse. Built-in the mid-eighteenth century and known at that time as “The Place of Prophets,” the building – situated at present far from the bustle of contemporary life on the banks of the Cohansey River – remains an active, albeit seasonal, Friends meetinghouse today. Yet for all of its contemplative and rural qualities, Greenwich Friends Lower Meetinghouse also serves, at times, as a touchstone of community activism, storytelling, education, and outreach.

[Read more…] about Greenwich Meeting – A Place of Activity at the End of a Winding Road

Assist Afghan Refugee Resettlement

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PYM Quaker communities and individuals have asked how to help!

The recent events in Afghanistan have led to a dramatic uptick in the number of refugees who will need resettlement — a number that has reached crisis levels and requires unprecedented response.

Many meetings have contacted PYM for information about how they can collaborate with churches and communities to help. Resources and a video can be found below. [Read more…] about Assist Afghan Refugee Resettlement

PYM Grants for Family Planning

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PYM’s Natalie Clifford Barney Fund provides grants to organizations providing family planning, specifically planned parenthood and birth control. Over the course of winter 2021, members of the Quaker Buildings & Programs granting group met several times to discern an impactful use of the funds today.

[Read more…] about PYM Grants for Family Planning

Building the Quaker Community We Want to Be

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The Youth Programs theme for the coming year, “Building the Quaker community we want to be,” is inspired by the hope that local meetings will consider the invitation from our Youth Programs to collaborate and use this theme in some way in your ministry with children and youth. Shared below are specific curriculum resources to support interest in thematic planning between our circles of spiritual community. [Read more…] about Building the Quaker Community We Want to Be

Cherice Bock on Building Hubs of Climate Resilience

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In her July 31st Annual Sessions keynote, Cherice Bock explored the question “Will friends act in radical faithfulness?” with 78 Friends. She lifted up a range of ideas and possibilities for advocacy, emphasizing community-focused work that builds hubs of climate resilience.

[Read more…] about Cherice Bock on Building Hubs of Climate Resilience

Quakerism and Constructive Conflict Addressed by Dr. Sa’ed Atshan

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Dr. Sa’ed Atshan offered the closing keynote to 106 Friends at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s 341st Annual Sessions with a talk on managing conflict within the Religious Society of Friends. He spoke of the powerful healing force of a humble, empathetic approach to difficult conversations. In his personal work across the Palestinian-Israeli divide, he has forwarded a shared understanding of the facts, avoidance of social media, and an approach that recognizes the humanity of each person even when disagreeing.  Dr. Atshan began the talk by sketching his Quaker schooling at Ramallah Friends School and credited Quakerism with shaping his thinking on constructive conflict.

[Read more…] about Quakerism and Constructive Conflict Addressed by Dr. Sa’ed Atshan

Mai Spann-Wilson: A Powerful Question Is More Important Than The Answers

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Sankofa

Drawing more than 100 friends, Mai Spann-Wilson’s keynote presentation and poetry reading began with Sankofa, a piece he wrote as a teenager. It closed with an impromptu recollection by his aunt, Diane Spann, of Mai at 18 as he shared Sankofa in a spontaneous performance on the side of the road. [Read more…] about Mai Spann-Wilson: A Powerful Question Is More Important Than The Answers

Nikki Mosgrove’s Keynote on Investing in Community + Land Acknowledgment

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A powerful speaker with a message of kindness, advocacy, and partnerships within the community, Nikki Mosgrove, of Trenton Friends Meeting and Nia Ministries, spoke to the truth that what is right is not always comfortable. She opened with Micah 6:8, a theme of this year’s Annual Sessions. [Read more…] about Nikki Mosgrove’s Keynote on Investing in Community + Land Acknowledgment

Meeting For Business – Minutes of Thursday July 29

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With 82 Friends in attendance,  Meeting for Business in Worship was held virtually from just before 1:00 to just past 4:00 PM during the afternoon of July 29th. The agenda offered the following items of business: Introductions, Epistle Writing Committee, Administrative Council and Treasurer’s reports, the 2022 PYM Budget presentation, and the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Sprint Report and work.  Minutes follow with thanks to the PYM recording clerks, Jim Herr and Kri Burkander. [Read more…] about Meeting For Business – Minutes of Thursday July 29